Written by Trish Crowe-Grande, OMAH History Committee
The Founder/Visionary we recognize today is Will Davis
In 2006, Will Davis, a local businessman, who had moved to Orillia over 40 years ago, was approached by his neighbours Richard Oatway and Sue Mulcahy to join the OMAH Board of Directors. With a few storefronts in the downtown area across from the museum, Davis had been quite happy to see the renovations completed in the early 2000s on the Sir Sam Steele building and the opening of the museum. He agreed to do so and was elected Chair in 2007 & 2008, then stayed on for another three years to 2011. He was very happy to return a year later to do a third term from 2012 – 2015.
During his tenure Davis was determined to see the second and third floors renovated, as up to that point the museum was essentially in the basement and ground floors, resulting in very limited space to display both art and history exhibits. Another capital fundraising campaign held over 2012 & 2013 was required for those renovations, with Jane Sorenson and Graydon Cragg leading the way. Bruce Stanton, MP at that time, played a big role in securing a significant federal grant that was the cornerstone in funding, and the City of Orillia ultimately followed with funding. Key individuals, such as Dorothy MacDonald, who made a generous financial contribution, set the wheels in motion for the community to follow through with support as well.
Will Davis
Recruiting the right people, whether it be for the Board or for the museum staff was a significant role that Will played during his time on the Board. He chaired both Board nomination committees and staff recruitment committees. It was during this time that current OMAH Executive Director, Ninette Gyorody, was hired.
While there have been many key turning points over the history of OMAH, Davis felt the renovations of the second and third floors enabled Ninette, staff and volunteers to provide more exhibits and programming, raising the profile of the museum in the community.
Over the years since his time on the OMAH Board, Davis stated that he has been very impressed with the staff and the quality of exhibits they have secured for the museum, and that the exhibits are much bigger, more comprehensive, with a frequent turnaround that leaves him pleasantly surprised to go in and able to see something new.
When asked if he had any advice for current staff and Board, Will replied to “just continue to raise the profile of OMAH in the community through whatever means possible, whether it be social media, digital newspapers, etc. The more PR that OMAH gets, the more the community is aware. And once they get inside and see the exhibits, they will see it is a very credible institution.”
After his time at OMAH, Davis continued to serve the community by sitting on a few other boards over the years, namely the Real Estate Board and for a social agency, Catulpa Tamarac, which has since been absorbed by New Path.
Davis believes that OMAH staff have been good stewards of the Sir Sam Steele building and he feels it wouldn’t still be here if it hadn’t been for the creation of the museum. He stated, “It beautifies the city and it is the anchor of the Orillia Arts District on that strip of Peter Street. Without the preservation of the Sir Sam Steele building, we wouldn’t have the artists.” And without the contributions of leaders like Will Davis, there would not be an OMAH.